Mrs Sally Hedgehog
by LazerTH
Summary: The marriage of Sonic to Sally. The sequel to the SIFF 'Brothers of the Rainbow'.
1. Consent

Mrs. Sally Hedgehog

                                                                             By LazerTH

Author's note:

                        What can I say about all this? I enjoy writing my SIFF (Self Insertion Fan Fiction) and am encouraged by the reviews. This fanfiction is the sequel to "Brothers of the Rainbow". It covers the wedding of Sonic and Sally (apologies to all Amy fans out there) and what's in store for my two characters Lazer and Rebecca. I will try my best to make this story worthwhile.

Disclaimer: The only characters that belong to me in this story are Lazer T.H. and Rebecca Coriander. All other characters are either owned by Sega or are of my imagination.

Time period: Sonic is twenty-one years old in this story. Everyone else is also five years older.

***

            "For the thousandth time, no!"

            King Acorn had not taken well to the news of Sonic's proposal to his daughter.

            "Daddy! Please!"

            Maximillian leaned forward on his throne toward Sally.

            "Sonic has landed you in enough trouble to last ten lifetimes. I can barely begin to count how many times you've come close to death. He is also not of your species!"

            Father and daughter exchanged glares.

            "_I love him_, father, as much as you love Alicia, your own wife."

            King Acorn's mind was in a fever of mixed emotions. He wanted his daughter to be happy, but Sonic was… Sonic! Never-ending trouble would come of this marriage. 

            "What about the royal crown?"

            "What of it?"

            "You will not be married to royalty. That will mean you lose your place on the throne of Acorn."

            "Father, what is a throne, when love is at stake?" she argued.

            The King rubbed a paw over his eyes.

"By the Goddess, Sally, you don't have to be dramatic."

            "What must I do, then? Be insulting?"

            He shook his head.

            "I cannot allow you to make this mistake."

            Sally looked directly into his eyes and spoke measured words.

            "If I cannot change your opinion, then no one can, but if I must choose between you and Sonic, I will choose, father, I will."

            She turned on her heel and walked out of the throne room. Sir John, who had waited in the background during the argument, ventured forward.

            "Sire, I…"

            "Yes, Sir John, I know that I am standing in the way of happiness. I have my reasons," he grumbled.

***

            The first snowfall powdered the Great Forest in white, and the citizens of Knothole prepared for winter. Sir John and the royal guards directed the felling of trees. The castle had many fireplaces. Now that Robotnik had fled, Sonic had nothing else to do but worry about his wedding and help around the village. 

            "That's enough, Sonic, thank you."

            A woodpile seven metres high lay beside Sonic. He was wearing a black jacket and white scarf to keep warm.

            "Okay. Need me to carry any?"

            "No, you've helped enough."

            Sir John went closer to Sonic and whispered.

            "The King and Her Highness Sally had a disagreement. She went back to her hut, you should talk to her."

            Sonic sighed and pushed back the green strands of his hair.

            "I know he doesn't want me as family. Thanks, John."

            The royal guard nodded and resumed his duties. 

***

            In Sally's hut, curtains hung closed over the windows while the fireplace crackled.

"He won't listen?"    

            "No."

            Sally felt safer when wrapped in Sonic's arms. She could also cry without being judged.

            "I tried everything. He's the only person in all of Knothole who thinks we shouldn't be together."

            "We could elope."

            Sally smiled and sniffed. She had thought of that.

            "You're always so extreme."

            "Hey, I'm serious. I can run on water, you know, we could live on an island far away."

            "No. My mother and brother, and the Freedom Fighters, they would blame my father if we disappeared. I… we have to convince him."

            "Let's do it."

            "What?"

            "Convince him."

            "Oh! Okay."

            She blinked and stood up. Sonic looked at her, in the semi darkness while the fire crackled in the hearth. The golden glow accentuated her curves against the shadows.

            "Why are you so beautiful?"

            "Come on, Sonic, save that for later."

            She put on warm clothing and they went to the palace, together. Sir John was waiting for them by the double doors to the King's court.

            "Good luck," he whispered, as the court was opened.

***

            Forty-six miles south west of Knothole was the Cridon Base, established since the beginning of the war against Robotnik. At the end of the war many of its inhabitants had opted for life in the Freedom Fighter city, ten miles from the remains of Robotropolis. The dojo of Rebecca Coriander had fewer students this winter.

            "Ten right arm punches. Begin!"

            She was of the red hedgehog species, and wore a semi-circular patch of fur on her forehead. Rebecca was the refugee of another war with Robotnik, five years past.

            "Ten with the left arm now. Begin!"

            Apart from the class, the sensei of Rebecca sipped green tea, cross-legged on the floor.

            The students belonged to various species, including seven of the twenty-one red hedgehogs that had enlisted in Cridon base. One of those hedgehogs was Patrick, whose V shaped forehead-fur was jagged and whose gray eyes never left his sensei. He was the most skilful of her students, with a third degree black belt (two degrees short of his sensei). His curly orange hair was matted from the exertions of the class. 

            "Stop. Class dismissed."

            A general sigh of relief came from the karate students. Patrick knew why the class had been cut short: that other red hedgehog, hailing from Knothole, had arrived. His dark-rimmed eyes blazed with jealously as Lazer entered, and Rebecca turned to smile as he walked in, her brown eyes turning into pools of adoration. 

            "Lazer."

            "Hello. You didn't have to stop the class."  

            She traced his sharp V-shaped forehead fur with one finger. He had no extra hair.

            "They needed a rest."

            Rebecca's sensei rose from the floor to greet Lazer.

            "My student spoke often of you during her training, Lazer-san."

            Lazer remembered Rebecca talking of her sensei. What first caught Lazer' eye was the sheathed samurai sword that hung from his waist. He was a dark purple rabbit with violet hair tied in a long ponytail. His amber eyes were narrow in a habitual frown. The tip of his left ear looked like it had been neatly severed. His gray kimono was a single piece of clothing that covered him to his feet, tied with a sash that also held his sword. 

"Kazuo. I am pleased Rebecca was able to continue her training. Thank you."

            They bowed to each other. With the power of his internal Chaos Emeralds, Lazer could usually feel another person's mind, their emotions and thoughts. With Kazuo there was a dense, white fog that alerted him: for the first time his emeralds had failed.

"Words of advice Lazer-san… do not wear your boots inside this dojo."

Lazer's boots had metal spikes beneath them. There was a trail of small holes in the wooden floor from where he had walked in. Lazer bowed again, trying and failing to see past the mental fog of Kazuo.

"Apologies. I have not entered a dojo for many years."

Rebecca cast her eyes over her students, most of which were leaving. Patrick grinned as she glanced in his direction, but she looked past him. He fumed.

            _Him,_ Patrick thought, _Not only does he have her heart, he has five Chaos Emeralds. Why?_

            "Anyway, Lazer, what're you doing here?" she asked.

            "It's been snowing for two days now. Have you seen what's happened to the forest?"

            "All the small animals are hibernating. The birds are gone."

            "Yes. Have you seen it from above, as well?"

            Her smile broadened, making her face all the more beautiful.

            "Show me."

            Disregarding the stares of everyone in the dojo, Lazer lifted her in his arms and hovered above the ground, spurning nature's gravity. 

"Sayonara, sensei," she said to Kazuo, who nodded with solemn face. 

Carrying her, Lazer floated out of the doorway with her and she hugged him tight.

            "Damn him," Patrick muttered. He wished he knew why Lazer was so blessed by Destiny to have great power _and_ Rebecca. Most of all, Patrick wished Rebecca would at least return one of his smiles. 

            Kazuo stooped to retrieve the saucer and teacup. He gave one glance at the dojo, with its four concrete walls, polished wooden flooring and fireplace. He went outside, feeling the sudden, drastic drop of temperature. Without hesitation he walked toward the evergreen trees surrounding the base. He paused among them, all their leaves covered with a fine coat of frost. He saw in his mind's eye the expression of Rebecca's face as Lazer held her. 

            When Kazuo started walking again, he left behind the shattered remains of fine porcelain, mist rising from the remaining drops of green tea. 

***

            Maximillian had his face covered with one paw, and was looking between his fingers at the two creatures who stood before his throne. Sonic, the ruffian, with paw clasped with Sally, _his_ daughter. Except for them, the court was empty.

            "Marrying him will disrupt the royal line. How can you not understand the significance of that?"

            "Can you think of anyone better, father?"

            King Acorn wished very dearly that he could.

            "I can think that he is not better, or the best, for you."

            "Even if you are my king and my father, you have no say when it comes to whom I choose to love."

            Between his fingers he saw their handclasp stiffen. Maximillian lowered his paw.

            "Knothole Kingdom is in a time of change. It is a change that will expand the kingdom, and form new alliances previously made impossible by Robotnik's tyrannical rule. If you marry Sonic, the Acorn family will be looked upon as one that mixes with… peasants, thus jeopardizing our standing with new world powers."

            Sally's blue eyes flared.

            "Oh, I see now. You want to keep the lineage royal so that it looks good in front of other kingdoms or governments. I know of a way. You can disown me, cut me off the family tree altogether."

            "Evil is attracted to _him_ like moths to a flame. When you dated less than a month past, your life was put in danger."

            Sonic blinked once, his other paw curling into a fist.

            "That danger is gone, it was eliminated because Sonic helped to the end!" Sally argued, and then cried out, "Why can't you just let us be happy?"

            The King's eyes burned as he looked at the engagement ring on Sally's left paw.

            "I…"

            There was perfect silence for almost five minutes. Only the king moved, placing his paw over his face again. He looked at his court, to the ceiling, the floor, and the two lovers. His paw dropped to his lap, and Maximillian rose from his throne. He stepped down to the polished floor of the court, facing the two.

            "You say that you are in love. I know how important love is. After all, I do have a wife."

            He walked, his kingly robes waving gently around him. He stood three feet away from his daughter and Sonic. 

            "Many things in this world pull us away from the fundamentals of life, that is, happiness, peace, and love."   

            Summoning his reserves of courage, he spoke again.

            "Thus shall it never be said that I denied my daughter happiness and love, due to affairs of state."

            "In other words…" Sally began.

            "In other words," he interrupted, "I will allow your marriage."

            "That was a top notch speech, your highness," Sonic spoke for the first time as Sally hugged her father. Maximillian stared at the blue hedgehog over Sally's shoulder.

            "If you make her unhappy, believe me, Sonic Hedgehog, I will make you much, much unhappier."

            "Daddy, don't say such things to your future son in law."

            The king sighed. He watched Sonic take Sally out of the court, and Sir John boomed the doors shut. The guard chose to remain with the King awhile.

            "Congratulations, Sire! I can tell by their faces you accepted their modest proposal."

            "Sir John, if you speak another word to me for the rest of the day, I shall have you expelled from my service forever."

            The King retired from the court for that day and walked past the silent guard, opening the doors himself. Alicia would be in the gardens at this time. He would have a long chat with her. 

***

            Sally fussed around her hut, rearranging things for no particular reason. She did not fix the sheets on her bed where she and Sonic had sat earlier, though. Instead she paused to remember the warmth of him and what he had said.

            "Why are you so beautiful…" she repeated, and sighed. A fortnight of preparation, and they would be wed. Sally opened one of the drawers of her dressing table. In it lay her journal, which she had confided in for years. When Sonic and she were married, she would seal the journal forever and confide in him. 

            Now, Sally lifted the leather bound book and carried it to her desk. She pushed aside articles concerning the politics of Mobius (for such were her studies) and set the book down, thumbing the pages until she arrived at the last entry, which resembled a short essay. She had described her experience on the night Sonic asked her to marry him. Her words were filled with joy and the love she had for him. 

            After happily updating her journal about her father's consent, she replaced it in her drawer. A shadow fell across the light in her room. She whirled around to look, but only sunlight was at the window. She frowned; thinking of the laser gun hidden in her dressing table, but forced herself to relax. There was nothing to fear from Robotnik, and she was going to marry the most perfect, blue hedgehog before the month ended.

***

            Keri's heart was racing. She sheltered beneath a tall pine tree, near to Sally's hut. Had the squirrel princess seen her? She hoped not.      

            "Ooh, why am I so pathetic?"

            She slid to the cold, hard ground, a rather overweight raccoon. Why was she doing this? Tears soaked her facial fur.

            "Kyle…" she whimpered, remembering him. Although a raccoon, Kyle was the complete opposite of her. He was popular with the opposite sex, with an ego almost as large as his muscles. 

            "Why am I the only girl in Knothole without someone who loves me?" she wondered, making herself more miserable in the process. She knew that her figure was less than desirable, and that Kyle would prefer _any_ other girl. 

            "I can't even talk to him. I always hide whenever he looks my way."

            Keri felt the flabby folds of her stomach and wept. That journal Sally kept would have love inside its pages. She had seen some of Sally's writing somewhere before and knew how well the squirrel princess could express herself. 

            _If I could read some of her writing, maybe then I'd know what love is._

            Keri did not know of any other way to ease her suffering. Telling her parents would not help, they would just tell her to wait for the right raccoon. She had no close friends, either, to talk with. Now that a hope for happiness was within her reach, she could not resist.

***

            Lazer had not been a member of a congregation for six years. He was uncomfortable sitting on the hard wooden pew, in the barely heated place of worship, while the priest delivered a sermon about the goodness of Destiny: the almighty goddess. He looked at Rebecca. She had prayed many years for his safety, and he felt obligated to attend at least one service.

            "How much longer will he be talking?" he whispered. 

            "Shh! Don't talk during service."

            Lazer fidgeted even more when the priest asked the congregation to stand. The songs of praises to Destiny were in hand-written booklets the congregation shared among themselves. He stared at the words blankly.

            "I don't sing."

            "You'll catch on."

            It started. The voices rose in harmony; the hymn was familiar to them. Lazer heard only Rebecca's voice, rising and falling in volume as she sung, while he stood silent, not wanting to intrude upon the beauty of the tune. When the voices faded he committed the hymn to memory, and began to think of how he could please Rebecca with it. Even as they walked outside, free from the priest's rambling, Lazer was singing the song within his mind, replacing words with his own. 

            "Lazer?"

            She had an uncertain smile on her face when he turned to her.

            "You haven't said anything. Did the service touch you?"

            "It was unforgettable," he affirmed, and placed an arm around her waist.

            "My prayers were answered," she said.

            Without even knowing it, they found themselves walking through the woods that surrounded the base. This accident of meandering often happened when they were together, a lifetime ago. 

            "Do you know where we're going?"

            "No."

            It was that simple.

            "I was scared of the forest for a while," she began to say, "I heard things that weren't there. Sensei always used the forest to practice with his sword, and also to train me."

            "That was before the dojo was constructed?"

            "Even after that. He doesn't like the noise around the base."

            "Or, he wanted to be alone with you."

            "Are you jealous?"

            "Always," he admitted, "But only because he was able to spend time with you, while I was thinking of vengeance."

            "That'll change now," she said, and they hugged. She sighed with pleasure.

            "You're warm."

            "That's the same thing…" he started to say, but shut up a bit too late.

            "Same thing what?"

            "Nothing," he said too quickly.

            She released her hold of him, and eyeballed him in a way that made him want to dig a hole in the ground and hide. 

            "Tell me. _Now._"

            "The same thing that… Hannah Nyress… told me."

            Her eyes could not open wider.

            "She hugged you?" she whispered. 

            _By the Walkers, she's the only person who can scare me._

"I didn't hug back. The demon in her body was killing her, and she was still afraid when I freed her."

            "What else happened?" she carried on in a hushed tone.

            _Why must she torture me like this?_

            "After that, she was taken away by the elders. I never saw her again, in fact, it was the same day I found you."

            Rebecca spent a few seconds absorbing this: the same sorceress who had caused thousands of Freedom Fighter deaths had hugged her boyfriend. 

            "She didn't do anything else?"

            "No," he lied.

            After a few moments of searching his impassive face she shrugged. 

            "What's done is done. Dwelling on trivial events is futile. Kazuo taught me that."

            _Ouch. _

            "You're wiser than I am."

            Their walk together was ruined, but still they trod onward. The murmur of running water reached their ears.

Good one, Lazer. First you let Robotnik escape and now you mention that Hannah hugged you. 

The words of the hymn crept into his thoughts even as he reproached himself in silence. 

My heart's desire… Yeah, why don't you mention that Hannah kissed you; that would lift her mood, after she breaks your body in several places! 

            The tune was revolving in his mind, as the sound of lapping water came nearer. They had found a river, winding its solitary way through the trees. Rebecca sat on her knees and dipped a paw into the cold rushing water. 

            "Care for a drink?"

            He sat beside her, but cross-legged.

            "I've never seen you sit like that."

            _By the Walkers, I can't believe how much Kazuo has changed her!_

            "I take that as a no."

            She tasted the water. Lazer felt a wall being built within her, its bricks were suspicion and its cement was doubt. He began to reach out to her, to touch, her, to make her understand.

            Leaves rustled on the opposite bank. Out of sheer habit, both hedgehogs were on their feet in an instant. They glanced at each other and then the disturbance. A deer pushed its way out of a bush, stared at them with almond eyes, and then warily lowered its head to the river. Rebecca breathed again.

            "I keep forgetting that we're not fighting a war any longer," she remarked. Lazer, however, was staring and staring at the deer as it drank. 

            "Lazer?"

            Slowly he faced her. There was a small, gentle smile on his face as his coal black eyes found her brown ones.

            "What's the matter, Lazer?" she said, and did not know why she was whispering.

            "Rebecca."

            Every syllable was touched with reverence. Hesitating at first, but in a rather good contemporary tenor, Lazer did the unthinkable: He began to sing.

            _"As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after thee! You alone are my heart's desire, and I long to marry thee."_

Rebecca would not utter a word.

            _"To you alone I express how I feel, to you alone may my emeralds yield."_

He was holding her paws.

            _"You alone are my heart's desire, and I long to marry thee."_

After the last word faded into silence Rebecca resembled a statue. 

            "All that I have said is true," he told her, which was the literal translation of the word "Amen". 

            After an eternity she found the words to say.

            "I didn't just hear the song. I… I _felt_ it."

Lazer sensed a change inside her, which shocked him to no end: her soul mirrored what _he_ felt within!

"Your mind… so wonderful… was open to me the whole time." 

This revelation bloomed within him, opening a new horizon: the wall had been broken down, forever and ever, Amen. 

            "Then… you know…"

            Inexpressible joy. The only perfect thing in the universe, love, was revealed in its _true_ glory to both Lazer and Rebecca in that moment. Mutually, they knew that their relationship had ascended to the highest level. There was no doubt. There was no fear. 

            They embraced, sharing in their souls something that was greater than all things mortal.

***

            _"Sonic!"_

The blue wonder became very alert and very worried at the tone of Sally's voice. He sat up from the table, smoothing his spiky green hair and wiping grease from his mouth.

            "Hi, Sal…"

            She gripped his forearms with steel paws and bodily lifted him off the ground. He flinched, not from the rough treatment, but the tempest of anger in her eyes.

            "Why… did… you… read… my… diary?"

            He protested innocence.

            "You liar."

She dropped him, and he found that his knees were weak and shaking. 

"I left my hut, and when I came back it was in a different draw. You should have paid more attention!"

            "I swear I..."

            "I bet you do," she spat back at him, the storm in full blast, "The same way you swear you never did a billion and one things I hesitate to mention."

            "Sally," he said again, regaining a semblance of control, "I never read your diary."

            She glared, but found that both his face and voice were serious.

            "Hmph," she uttered, and turned away. She took a few steps but looked over her shoulder. Sonic could _feel_ her glacial blue stare.

            "I'll be watching you."

            He slumped dejected onto the bench when she was gone. Tails had been watching the scene with great interest.

            "Your arms must be killing you."

            "No. Her eyes were. I'm dead and buried already."

            "Cheer up. I could tell you were innocent. Finish your lunch."

            Sonic was walking away. Tails shook his head.

            "Even when they're engaged, it's the same."

            He munched at the chilidog.

***

            Hiding behind the same pine tree, Keri's eyes were still tearing from the remembrance of Sally's journal. She was elated, saddened, exhilarated and exhausted at the same time. Such beautiful words! _What a striking contrast to my own life_, she thought. Then her tears shifted to melancholy, and she could not prevent the sobs from racking her body. Tomorrow, after Sally wrote more, she would read the journal again. It was the lighthouse amidst the tormented seas of her existence. 

***

            The day aged into evening. Lazer and Rebecca somehow managed to release their embrace. With help from his Chaos Emeralds, they found their ways back to their respective homes, with the knowledge that they would share one home very soon.

Sonic and Sally had come to speaking terms after the earlier disagreement, and were at their special spot in the forest, chatting on the large tree stump. 

"Whoever snuck into your hut will do it again."

"A thief returning to the scene of the crime?"

"They always do. I know; I've done it before."

Laughter. It was impossible for them to remain angry at each other for very long. 

Evening gave way to dusk. Paw in paw they returned to Knothole. They shared a tender moment before going to their separate huts, perchance to sleep, to dream. 


	2. Preparation

            Sally was alert the moment she woke up. As she pulled on her boots and jacket she thought, the intruder of her hut would be caught today. She reached for the walkie-talkie and dialed Tails's frequency. The young fox, her 'nephew' was as alert as she.

            "It only took an hour to put together. Come and see it."

***

            The device was on the workbench, a plain metal box. 

            "What will it do, exactly?"

            "I won't go into the details. Suffice it to say, if you leave this in your hut, any movement will trigger an alarm fit to wake the dead."

            Sally grinned and tousled his hair.

            "Suffice it to say, you are my favourite nephew."

***

            The squirrel princess walked into her hut and left it soon after, carrying her portable computer Nicole. She found a comfortable tree to sit under and switched on Nicole. Loading the word processor, she typed "Mrs. Sally Hedgehog" a few dozen times. It looked right, she thought, although she was really a squirrel. The alarm started screeching. Other citizens of Knothole turned their heads and went to investigate.

            "Gotcha," Sally muttered. It took a few seconds to race back to her hut, and who should be standing there, jaw ajar, but Sonic.

            "I _knew_ it was you!" Sally cried. 

            "But… I was just looking for you!"

            Sally stepped on the metal box to turn off the alarm and then confronted her fiancée. 

            "The culprit always returns to the scene of the crime," she growled. Sonic's eyes widened even further (if such a thing was possible), he shook his head and held up his paws, as if in self-defense.

            "No! I only came in here to say good morning, please believe me!"

            Some of the folk gathered around the hut found this amusing.

            "Move! Nothing to see here," Sally commanded them. The small crowd made haste to retreat from her voice. Sonic wished he could do the same.

            "You could have knocked first," she said.

            "I did! The windows were closed and nobody was answering, and the door was open. Come on, Sal, I wasn't doing anything else."

            The fire ebbed inside her, but she leaned forward and poked his chest.

            "Every step you take, I'll be watching you."

            "Oh, I believe you, Sal."

            She took the alarm device, closed the door and walked away. Sonic sucked in a breath and rubbed where she had jabbed him.

            "I believe you," he said quietly.

***

            The dojo was empty; class had not yet begun. Lazer enjoyed the silence; he had come to appreciate the astronomical value of silence in his life.

            "You forgot to take off your shoes. Again."

            "So I have."

            He slipped out of the spiked boots and turned to the door. The light pouring into the dojo revealed the new trail of holes in the floor that had further damaged its polish. At the entrance stood Patrick, thumbs hooked in his jean pockets. Lazer recognized him.

            "You are Rebecca's student? What is your name?"

            "Yes, and my name is Patrick, but everyone in the base forgot my name and calls me Pat. You are her boyfriend, Lazer?"

            "Fiancée," he corrected. A flicker of rage came over Pat and was gone.

            "I didn't see an engagement ring on her finger this morning."

            The other red hedgehog smiled.

            "I have no money."

            "Wait," Pat exclaimed, "_You_ can't get a job?"

            "I haven't bothered to look for one. I never needed money… until now."

            Lazer, shoes in hand, made for the door. Pat stopped him.

            "I've heard about you being the guardian of The Lake. Do you want to spar with me?"

            Lazer searched for something in Pat's eyes and found it. The decision was made, the outcome was clear.

            "Haven't done anything like it in a month, but okay."

            He set his shoes down on their side, so the offending spikes would not do more damage. Pat waited for him in the center of the dojo. 

            "Three knockdowns?"

            Lazer cracked his knuckles and nodded, still watching the thing he had found in Pat's eyes. Pat leaped into action, every moment smooth and controlled, just as Kazuo had taught Rebecca, just as Rebecca had taught him. 

            After being buffeted around all four corners of the dojo, Pat was fiercely trying to ignore the throbbing, painful areas nearly all over his body. He had managed to block a few attacks, but none of his had struck home. Staggering from the third uppercut, Pat retreated a few steps to take a breath. Lazer spoke up.

            "I recognize some of Rebecca's style, but all the rest is strange."

            "Don't talk about Rebecca," growled Pat. What Lazer had seen in his eyes at the start blazed forth. Pat took a deep breath and started to run. He was airborne for a moment, leg extended toward Lazer's head. This was the move he had surprised Rebecca with a long time ago, earning him the third stripe on his black belt. Lazer, however, was not surprised. Pat was stupefied when the floor suddenly smacked him in the face. Lazer let go of his leg.

            "You lost your temper, Pat. Before the fight even started you had lost control. Your sensei should know about that." 

"Please don't," Pat pleaded. Lazer crossed the floor to retrieve his shoes.

"I won't."

He left. Pat attempted to get up, thought better of it, and endured the hard wooden floor. Some small part in his mind told him that he could still win, but the other, larger part of his mind said otherwise.

"Damn," he wheezed. Without anything better to say, he said it again. Couldn't Rebecca see in his eyes that he adored her? Every class she had taught, even when they had sparred, he reserved a place in his eyes for her. Couldn't she see it? He would make her see his eyes, if he could just convince his body to get up.

***

Keri felt that she was dying. Her sense of being had become non-existent as the loving words caressed, warmed and suffocated her. She could not live without them. She read again the poem Sonic had written to Sally, on that night on the tree stump, when he was wreathed with rainbows. It was taped to one of the pages in Sally's journal. 

_"…Now I ask you, Sally Acorn, to be my wife_

_Until Destiny leads us to another life."_

"So beautiful," Keri wept, and one of her tears fell on the page. To her extreme horror, the tear blotted out the word 'life' into an inky mess on the page. With a strangled scream she backed away from the journal. She felt so filthy to have ruined the perfect poem, so filthy. Her paws covered her face, stemming the flow of tears.

"I don't mind," Sally said matter-of-factly, and walked in. Trapped, Keri looked through a gap in her fingers at the squirrel princess. Her body was so perfect, unlike hers. She wept anew. Sally handed her a napkin.

"I'm not angry at you. I think I blew off too much steam at Sonic to be mad anymore. What's your name?"

Keri dabbed her eyes. She muttered her name as if it were a millstone chained to her neck.

"Let me keep the journal. Please. You can't know how much it means to me."

"Hold on. Save that for after. Now, Keri, what is your problem? Tell me all about it."

Sally offered a seat next to her on the bed. Keri sat on the floor and told her about Kyle, what she thought about him and what she thought about herself. The gears in Sally's head clicked into place.

"You couldn't even speak to him?"

Keri looked at her in shock.

"_Speak?_ I can't even get within ten metres of him."

Sally thought about that.

"Then you can't be helped."

"Oh, I know that," Keri said in a voice that was possibly more morose than before, "Just look at me."

Sally was patient.

"It will be hard, but if you ever want love in your life, you have to go after it."

"Why?"

"Why?" she echoed, "Because if you don't, someone else will. Now, go and tell Kyle how you feel. If he wants to talk to you, then that's a good sign. If he doesn't, move on. Find someone else who wants to talk to you."

After absorbing this for a few moments, Keri spoke up.

"I'll have to wear some perfume."

***

Pat found Rebecca with her sister Rachel. They were making paper collages on an outdoor table, one of the few in Cridon base. He looked at Rebecca's collage and groaned inwardly. He looked at her, beauty incarnate.

"Can we talk?"

It was a whisper. Rebecca sent a significant glance to her sister, who shrugged and went back to the collage. Rebecca led Pat to the greenhouse of the base, where several of the dojo students spent their free time either tending to the plants or socializing. Pat regarded them all as beneath him: the best student. He did not regard Kazuo as beneath him, though; he spied the Master placidly sipping tea, the steam curling above his head. 

In a quiet corner Pat looked at his sensei.

"I love you," he blurted, "Every day since I knew you. I can't describe it as anything else. I love everything about you. Couldn't you see it _every time I looked at you?"_

"Yes, Patrick. I knew that you loved me."

Strain crept into his voice.

"Then why did you ignore me?"

"I wanted you to discover other people. Remember when I lectured about noticing everything about everyone?"

"For everyone is a friend until you open your eyes to tell the difference."

He could have recited every speech.

"Yes, Pat. You will discover that someone is greater or lesser than a friend when you take the time to notice."

"But I only see you!"

"Then use this visual aid... look behind you."

Among all the faces, Pat saw one turn away from his. His mouth decided to open and close several times.

"How long has she been watching me?"

"She has never spoken, but I believe she set her sights on you when you first arrived in the base. She even became part of the dojo, and always stood behind you."

"Couldn't she speak?"

"Couldn't you see her trying to?"

The brown hedgehog was watering vegetables, busy not noticing him. She fidgeted when Pat approached her and spoke to her for the first time.

"Joanne. Sensei told me everything. Why didn't you say something before?"

She blushed. He noticed how odd it looked in contrast to her brown fur.

"I didn't say something, because I knew that you were in love with sensei."

To her great bewilderment, Pat began laughing. 

"I'm sorry," he said, wiping a tear away, "It seems that everything in my life has been filled with irony."

While the hedgehogs struck up a conversation, Kazuo watched his student through the mist rising from his teacup. She was smiling, pleased with what she had accomplished.

_But can you see _my_ eyes, Rebecca?_

It was as much as a prayer as it was a thought.

***

"I told you it wasn't me."

"I'm sorry."

"That sounded nice. Say it again."

"Shut up."

Sally had explained Keri's situation to him. The tree stump where they sat was their place of truce, and she was playing with his spiky hair.

"She liked your journal a lot?"

"It was her holy book. I never knew I wrote so well."

"Liar."

"Okay, I did. Still, it's not healthy for someone to cling to a false hope. She thought what I wrote was all the love she needed."

"I know what sort of love I need from you, though,"

"Breathing down my neck doesn't help, you know."

"Stop being so unromantic, Sal."

She caught him in a lip lock, holding his head in place.

"Whoa, take it easy Sal."

"Hypocrite."

She kissed him again.

***

Tails watched the couple emerging from the same section of trees they always did. He wondered where his two best friends went so often. Sally purposefully headed deeper into the village. Sonic saw him and ran over. 

"Yo, Tails! Lunch ready yet?"

"Er, yeah, but…"

He hesitated. Sonic knew Tails too well to misinterpret the look on his buddy's face.

            "Don't be shy; I've tried to get that into your head since I knew you. What's wrong?"

            "We'll be friends forever, right? You always told me that, it's true isn't it?"

            "Yeah," Sonic said automatically, a bit confused that his number one fox would question such a thing. Tails interrupted.

            "When you marry Sally you'll still be pals with me, right?"

            "Oh!" he said, understanding at last, "Sally's marriage to me means that we can't ever stop being friends. It doesn't mean you get left on the sidewalk. Did I mention you're the best man?"

            "What?"

            "The best man, it means you're the best friend of the groom. You get to stand right next to me through the whole wedding, 'cause you're the best."

            "Sounds cool."

            "It is. Which reminds me, you haven't got a tuxedo. We should buy one."

            "But it's lunchtime."

            "We're not staying here. The city has a fast food place on every street. Think you can make it to city gates before I do?"

            "You're on!"

            Blue and orange flashed through the trees.

***

            When careful demolition of the abandoned Robotropolis was complete, the Freedom Fighter city would continue growing until it consumed the remains, to form New Mobotropolis. Sonic had suggested the plan to the city's mayor, who took care of the details. Now Sonic and Tails were standing in line at a pizza parlour. Sonic was employed there as a delivery boy.

            "You sacrificed eleven month's pay for the engagement ring?"

            "Yep, and then there's the wedding ring I gotta buy."

            After lunch they visited Mina on another side of town. The lavender haired mongoose welcomed them into her apartment.

            "Came for lunch? There're some takeout leftovers…"

            "No," Sonic said, and flopped onto an overstuffed couch. Tails did likewise. "I came to ask for a favour."

            "What, there's another sorceress to overthrow?" she giggled. 

            "Better than that. Can you be a maid of honour at my wedding?"

            She blinked and shrugged.

            "…I don't have a dress."

            "It's okay. Sally knows your size and the castle's treasury is paying for the dress. Will you do it?"

            "Yes. I'll bring my boyfriend, too. When's the big day?"

            "November 20th. It's a Saturday."

            "That's less than three weeks! What about all the stuff you have to prepare?"

            "There won't be much to prepare. Sally and I already agreed on how the castle's courtyard will be decorated. The place where I work is supplying foldable chairs. His majesty is paying for everything else. All I have to do is organize the music, recruit the bridal party and buy me and Tails change of clothes."

            "And the ring," Tails said. 

            "Yeah. Sally's buying my ring and I'm buying hers. You can guess which one will be more expensive."

            "A princess marrying a pauper," Mina hooted. Sonic scowled as Tails broke into peals of laughter as well.


	3. Wedding

            November 20th arrived. It was frigid in the courtyard. The vast crowd was seated, facing away from the castle doors. Blue and white was the colour theme of the wedding, all the ribbons and balloon archways were thus. Unsettled in his custom made tuxedo, Sonic sat in the front row. Tails was beside him, similarly attired and also squirming. Both had forsaken their 'soap' shoes for more appropriate black boots. The boots would never be worn again, until, Sonic had suggested, Tails was married.

            "I'll never get married," Tails insisted.

            "That's what I said when I was your age."

Behind them was the buzzing crowd, almost all of it Freedom Fighters. Standing at the podium was the priest, a wise old owl who was also a personal friend to the King. The live musical band imported from the F.F. city, which had the experience of one hundred weddings, waited for the signal from the priest. 

"Why is Sally taking so long?" Tails wondered. Sonic said nothing, while his mind bubbled with thoughts of the past, present and future. The warm years were his early childhood, the bliss of being innocent. Experience had paid him a call when Robotnik took action. The heat of battle and the cold of bitterness were constant, mixed with the darkness of fear and loneliness. How very few had been the happy moments. He had tried to make Sally happy and she had tried the same. Always, he had kept his sense of humour. Even now, as the band began to play 'Here comes the bride', he imagined Sally tripping over her wedding dress. Tails was tugging at his arm.

"Get up! She's here!"

He left his seat and turned. 

"Holy Goddess."

Destiny had opened the heavens and shone her sacred rays upon Sally. Sonic's mind was a blank slate as he gaped in astonishment at her.

A bouquet of white flowers she held in her pearl white gloves. Her face was wreathed with angelic beauty, glowing with love. A diadem rested upon her hair, glittering as if with divine light. Her silken wedding dress fluttered around her feet, which wore perfect white sandals. When her eyes met those of Sonic, a love flowed between them that promised never to die.

"All be seated," said the priest. He gazed upon the wedding couple: so happy, so in love. The King and Queen, resplendent in their finest clothing, stood beside their daughter. Sonic's parents were beaming from their seats. Someday, the priest thought, their robotic shells would be removed, to enjoy their grandchildren. 

"It is significant," the owl boomed, "that this is the first wedding since the end of the War. This wedding is truly symbolic that further generations will live in mutual friendship and love for each other…"

While the priest spoke, Sally took time to notice her husband to be. His green hair had been smoothed out on his head, it looked so strange when it wasn't spiky and all over the place. He didn't look at ease in the stiff tuxedo, but one glance from his eyes was enough to reassure her. She gave him a small smile, almost blushing. She thought she looked silly in the wedding outfit, but Mina and Bunnie had gushed praises. It would soon be over, Sally thought. Soon.

"Who gives this squirrel to this hedgehog?"

King Maximillian stepped forward. The priest motioned him to place Sally's paw into Sonic's: the traditional handing-over of the bride. Maximillian looked Sonic in the eye as he gave his daughter away. Both sadness and weariness marked the king's face.

"I hope you appreciate what I have just done."

"Maybe someday I will, your majesty."

Maximillian resumed his place beside his wife, who took his arm and patted it. The owl cleared his throat noisily.

"Now, Sonic, repeat after me."

The wedding vows, Sally thought. She gave him her most encouraging smile as he said them. She knew every word to be true. How many times had he taken care of her in the past, when she was sick or hurt? How many times had he stayed with her, when she was afraid or lonely? Those things would never change, she thought, as she repeated her wedding vows to him.

"The rings?"

Tails handed them over. Sonic slipped the large diamond onto Sally's left hand with the words, "I give you this ring, Sally Acorn, as a sign of our marriage."

She placed a golden band on his left hand and spoke her words.

"This couple has declared their lifelong love and dedication to each other. If there be anyone present who has reason to object to this marriage, speak now or _forever_ hold your peace."

Sonic found himself holding his breath. His grip on Sally's paw strengthened.

"Then, by the power vested in me…"

_This is it,_ Sonic thought, _the beginning of forever._

_At last, _Sally thought, _nothing can separate us._

"…I now pronounce you husband and wife."

As though nature had heard these words, a spontaneous chorus of birdsong began among the trees. The joyous chirping was joined by the live band, which struck up the exultant melody as Sonic took his wife into his arms and kissed her. The massive crowd stood as one and began to cheer, roaring with delight and good will. The newlyweds walked down the aisle, toward the castle, where the reception banquet awaited. The rice throwing began. Thousands of white grains showered them, getting into their hair and clothing. Laughter joined the cheering, even Sonic and Sally laughed. What joy! This was a day to be remembered. 


	4. Honeymoon

            "That's all your stuff?"

            "Yes. I packed all of it before the wedding like you asked me."

            She was wearing her normal jacket and boots, with scarf to boot. The wedding dress lay in the castle vault beside her mother's.

            "Great. The Tornado's ready, let's go honey."

            "Honey," Sally echoed and laughed. They were married. They were actually _married._ Everything would change except their love.

            Tails had his pilot's goggles on as he sat in the cockpit. Sonic heaved the remaining luggage into the second seat.

            "Where will we sit?" she asked. He grinned, the same wicked, mischievous grin she hated and adored.

            "Not sit. Stand. On the wings."

            Her initial protest to this dangerous stunt so soon after their marriage was dampened by, "Just hold on to me if you're scared."

            "Gas, check. Oil, check. Ready for liftoff. Don't fall off, you two."

            Sally shut her eyes at first, welding her body against her husband's while the biplane took off. He held her and stroked her hair, warm against his face. As the Tornado settled into a level cruise, she relaxed against him and opened her eyes. 

            "Beautiful, isn't it, my love?"

            "Hey, none of that soap opera talk from you. 'Honey' is just fine."

            "I think you're prettier than it, honey."

            The sky was painted reddish gold, inlaid with strokes of orange from the fiery orb that crept beneath the horizon. With the fresh breeze all around her, Sally thought she was flying with her husband to the shimmering gates of heaven. 

            "Will it be wonderful when we get there?" she asked. 

            "Wonderful is too weak a word."

            It was. The small island they dove toward was leafy and wild, watered by many brooks, perfumed with innumerable flowers and inhabited only by songbirds. A new song began as the Tornado taxied to a halt, in a clearing that was dominated by a large hut. Sally was helped down while Tails unloaded their luggage.

            "I hope you have enjoyed the flight to Paradise. Please join me again on the return flight to the Great Forest, one week from now," Tails smirked. When the Tornado had faded into the clouds, Sally turned to her new husband. 

            "How did I know about this place?" he said, "Tails and I were joyriding the Tornado a few months ago. I thought it would be neat if I could show you the place. So I built the hut, all by myself, to prepare for this day."

            "You chose well. It's… perfect," she said, gazing with wonder at trees she had never seen before. The scent of the flowers was also foreign, and exquisite.

            "There are so many things I have to show you here, Sally."

            "When do we start?"

            "Tonight."

***END***

Author's Note:

                        Thus concludes the first part of the sequel. Yes, it is short, but since the tone of the second part will be very different in comparison to this one, I had to separate them. To those of you who yawned throughout this, fear not: the second part of this sequel will contain more action and adventure than you could shake a Swatbot at. Until then, please tell me what you thought about this. I appreciate any comment you have to offer. Until the second part is posted…

                                                                    -LazerTH


End file.
